The estate of Brent Hinds has filed a civil suit against Mastodon and three of its members, alleging the guitarist was never paid for his stake in the band and that his image was used to sell a record he had no part in making.
The complaint was lodged on September 3 in Fulton County Court in Atlanta, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and names Troy Sanders, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor as defendants alongside the band.
According to the filing, Hinds still held ownership interests in Mastodon and several related businesses when he died in August 2025. A buyout had been proposed after he left the band but was never completed.
The estate says Mastodon later sent a cheque for $80,000 as an aggregate buyout of those interests, without any accounting to show how the figure had been arrived at. The estate has not cashed it.
The second part of the complaint concerns Marrow Deep, the band’s album released on August 28 through Loma Vista Recordings.
The estate alleges the cover artwork contains a recognisable image of Hinds, and that his likeness was subsequently used in promoting and selling the record and associated merchandise. Hinds did not play on the album. The suit seeks compensation for that use.
The filing also disputes how the split was characterised at the time. Hinds left Mastodon in March 2025 after 25 years, and the band initially described the parting as mutual. The lawsuit alleges he was told of his dismissal by email.
A third strand of the complaint objects to the surviving members publicly discussing private aspects of Hinds‘ life after his death, including their statements that substance use contributed to his exit. The band set out their account of the departure this summer in a mini-documentary, “The Mastodon In The Room“, in which they said the decision had been reluctant and cited concerns about his behaviour in his final years with the group.
None of the allegations has been tested in court. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that neither Mastodon nor representatives for the estate had responded to its requests for comment before publication.
Hinds co-founded Mastodon in Atlanta in 2000 and played on every album the band made until his exit. The separation turned public and hostile through the spring and summer of 2025, with Hinds posting repeatedly about his former bandmates on social media.
He died on August 20, 2025 in a motorcycle crash in Atlanta. He was 51.
